Rintala, 47, has been behind bars since Oct. 19, 2011, when she was arrested following a grand jury indictment. According to prosecutors, Rintala killed Annamarie Cochrane Rintala, 37, in the Granby home the couple shared with their young daughter on March 29, 2010. Rintala is the first woman in the history of the state to be charged with murdering her lawfully wedded wife.

Nearly three years after the incident, Rintala’s case finally went to trial in March, only to end in a hung jury. Because of commitments by defense lawyer David P. Hoose, it has not appeared likely that the case will be retried before next year. However, a status conference scheduled for July 11 might clarify the retrial date.

Hoose was co-counsel in the murder trial of Anthony P. Baye, which was projected to last several weeks. The case ended abruptly after only one day of testimony in May when Baye pleaded guilty to setting 27 fires in Northampton, one of which claimed the life of a father and son. He was sentenced to 19-20 years in prison.

Hoose is also involved in a capital case in federal court. He said Thursday that he should have a better idea of his availability for the Rintala trial at the status conference.

Judge Mary-Lou Rup, who presided over Rintala’s trial, twice refused to set bail for her, once in the amount of $100,000 and later in the amount of $250,000. The petition before the Supreme Judicial Court also asked it to set bail at $250,000, but Associate Justice Fernande R.V. Duffly denied the request without a hearing.

Prosecutor Steve Gagne said that the court generally leans in favor of bail because it is not meant to be punitive but to ensure the appearance of the defendant at trial. However, the presumption that the defendant should be released does not apply in murder cases, he said.

“It’s still a matter of discretion for the court, but the penalty is so severe it creates the incentive to flee,” he said.

Gagne argued in his opposition to the Supreme Judicial Court petition that Rintala is a flight risk.

Hoose noted that he has had clients released on bail that were charged with murder, notably Charles Fryer Jr., who was convicted in 1990 of stabbing Springfield College student Eric S. Palmer.

“As a practical matter, in my mind, there’s no difference,” he said.

Hoose denied that Rintala is a flight risk and pointed out that at least some jurors did not consider her guilty.

“They took their best shot at her with a circumstantial case,” he said of the prosecution.